Aries Group plans $10bn investment in India, ME

DUBAI, April 24, 2018

The UAE-based Aries Group's Indywood Consortium has initiated $10 billion investment in India and Middle East as part of Vision 2020, said Aries Group chairman and CEO Sohan Roy.

"We will increase our market share in marine, tourism and entertainment sector by 2020. In entertainment, we will set up top notch multiplex screens, home cinemas, animation/films schools in India and Middle East. We will invest $10 billion in the next five years and it would generate 1,00,000 job opportunities. The details of other ventures will be announced soon," said Roy.

In addition to this, the group will produce international movies using advanced technology and worldwide distribution. "We will promote young talents through movies and it would be a golden opportunity for them to showcase their talents," said Roy, who is also a Hollywood Director.

The Indywood consortium initiated by Aries Group is an umbrella network connecting 2,000 influential and wealthy individuals with the latent potential of India’s multi-billion dollar film and entertainment sector. Several leading industrialists from across the globe are already members of the consortium, which was launched recently Hyderabad under Project Indywood.

The consortium plans to produce 1,000 movies over the next five years, with added focus on the Indian animation and television industry. Integrated dubbing centres and film schools are also part of the process to ensure the readiness of highly skilled talent when it’s time to shoulder the impending cinematic revolution. Through all this, the consortium aims to ensure efficient monetization of Indian cinema’s potential and raise its share in global cinema to 40 per cent.

Work has also begun on multi-format cinematic infotainment programmes such as educational content and sporting events that will redefine the theatre sector and make it an avenue of visual entertainment 24x7. Further, several mega film and theatre projects have already been announced by future members of the consortium including India’s most expensive movie the Mahabharata, and the world’s first 8K multiplex project at Udupi, India. Work on other similar multiplex projects in India has also been started, a statement said.

The consortium further aims to add 1,000 8K Screens in India by 2020, with the capacity to make, screen and show this high end format across the country and abroad. The zeal of the consortium has been recognized by cinema powerhouses such as South Korea, Nigeria, Iceland, Czech Republic and even non-cinema nations such as Saudi Arabia, who have acknowledged the value of film tourism and a global cinematic movement led by Indywood.

The consortium hopes to inspire more investors to invest in the country’s cinema industry and manufacture indigenous products for the local industry.

To mark the 20th anniversary celebrations, Aries Group has chalked out various CSR and Sustainable energy campaigns. "We will organise awareness campaigns and seminars in association with various corporate, NRI associations, self-help groups etc to promote the importance of CSR and sustainable energy," said Satheesh Chandran, director of Aries Group. – TradeArabia News Service